[GCARC] ARRL Membership - Important

[Christopher Prioli AD2CS]

Attention  All GCARC Members...

It has recently been reported to me that our ARRL co-membership numbers are
extremely low, and as a result we are in very real danger of losing our
ARRL club affiliation.  The ARRL affiliation is important for several
reasons, which I will go into in a little while.  I want to address a
different topic first.

I fully understand that there is some resistance to ARRL among some of our
- or any club's - membership.  There is a great deal of disagreement with
the League's politics and policies, which drives many amateur operators in
their decision not to join the League.

In spite of that, however, it must be clearly understood that the League is
our (as Amateur Radio) only active voice in the Legislature, both in
Washington DC and in the various state capitals.  As an example, ARRL is
currently the voice and the driving force behind the attempt to void the
restrictive powers of HOA's as related to amateur radio operations and
antenna installations.  That alone is a cause well-worth supporting.  The
League also works hard to maintain the bandspace that is allocated to
Amateur Radio.

I ask that you seriously consider joining the League despite any
reservations that you may have due to the League politics.  *Amateur radio
needs your support, and GCARC needs ARRL.*

Going back to the numbers, ARRL requires that an affiliated club maintain
at least 51% co-membership  As it stands right now, we are at 52.7% as of
the end of November.  We, as a Club, need the League for several reasons.
The three main reasons are:

   - our annual HamFest is also an ARRL convention, which drives a certain
   percentage of the attendance at the HamFest.  We need to maintain - and
   hopefully grow - our HamFest attendance numbers;
   - as an affiliated club, we are permitted to advertise our Club
   activities on the League website - license preparation classes, VE
   sessions, HamFests, and so forth; and
   - as an affiliated club, we are eligible for certain grants from the
   League, an important revenue source that we have used in the past.

If you are not already an ARRL member, please join the group if there is
any way at all that you can see your way clear to do this.  If you are
already an ARRL member, please be sure to renew that membership at
expiration.

For all ARRL new and renewal applications, I also request that you submit
these applications through me (the Club) so that we can take advantage of
the ARRL Membership Commission Program.  This program pays cash benefits to
GCARC for each application submitted via the program.  All that the
applicant needs to do is to use the correct form and to return the
completed form and payment method to the Club's appointed coordinator for
the program.  That individual will then consolidate the applications
received each month and submit them to the League under cover of a required
summary and cover form.

Because I cannot attach the form to this email sent via the reflector, I
have instead uploaded it to my website for convenience.  The form can be
accessed here:  ARRL Membership Application 2025 CLUB.pdf
<https://www.arrl.org/files/file/ARRL%20Membership%20Application%202025%20CLUB.pdf>.
Download the form, complete it, and then send it back to me together with
the payment form.  If the payment is made via credit or debit card, simply
email the completed form to me.  If payment is being made by check or money
order, you can either mail it to me or you can drop it off at the Clubhouse
or bring it to the 3 December General Membership Meeting.

If mailing the form and payment, send it to either:

   - Chris Prioli  648 W Holly Ave  Pitman, NJ  08071 or
   - GCARC ATT: Membership  PO Box 370  Pitman, NJ  08071

*I sincerely hope that you decide to give your support to our hobby in this
manner.  Any support given to ARRL is also support given to GCARC.*

73 de

-- Chris   AD2CS
*GCARC VE Team Liaison*
*GCARC Education Committee Chair*
*GCARC Membership Committee Chair*
*Member, GCARC Board of Directors*
------------------------------------------------------------
Christopher P Prioli
648 W Holly Ave
Pitman, NJ  08071
1-856-689-6783
www.ad2cs.com